An obscure minor noble family in Swabia, the Zähringen
dynasty owed its rise to power to their support for the nobility in its long
running dispute with Emperor Heinrich IV in the last decades of the 11th
century. They sided with the anti-king of Germany, Rudolf von Rheinfelden Duke
of Swabia, after his election in 1077. The Zähringer were courted by both
sides, the emperor appointing different members of the dynasty as duke of
Carinthia and duke of Swabia at different times. The dynasty concentrated its
attention on building its territorial influence around Freiburg im Breisgau.
Like the less powerful family of the Grafen von Hohenburg, centred on Wiesneck[1], the Zähringer
held property in the Black Forest on both banks of the upper reaches of the
river Rhine. It held countships in the Thurgau, Albgau, Ortenau and Breisgau.
The ducal branch acquired the family's Swabian possessions, maintained the
title duke after the head of the family ceased to be Duke of Swabia and
eventually applied it to the imperial fief of Zähringen which it held directly
from the crown (see the document SWABIA NOBILITY).

The title "Markgraf" was never officially
awarded to the Markgrafen von Baden in a way which associated it with Baden as a territory. The first "Markgraf" of the family was the father of Markgraf Hermann [II] who is shown below. Hermann [I] was installed as "Markgraf" in
the March of Verona in northern Italy by Heinrich IV King of Germany in 1072.
He resigned the appointment to become a monk at Cluny in the following year. His
son subsequently used the title, which gradually came to be applied to his
home-base of Baden in Swabia. No record of any objection to this process by
the German king has survived. It is assumed that no difficulty was raised in
view of the numerous other examples of such transformations in 11th and 12th
century Germany, for example those relating to the titles of Duke of Dachau and
Markgraf der Bayerischen Nordgau. The first recorded mention of the title
associated with the territory of Baden is a charter of Emperor Heinrich V dated
27 Apr 1112 (see below). The son of Markgraf Hermann [II] was briefly
installed in the march of Verona by Konrad III King of Germany in 1148, but this had no further effect on his title.

1.HERMANN (-after 12 Jul 1153, bur Backnang Stiftskirche). He succeeded as HERMANN III "der Grosse" Markgraf von Baden. The Notitia
Fundationis Monasterii Backnang records the foundation in 1116 by "Hermanno
Marchione Badensi" and by "filio suo juniore Hermanno"
in 1134[16].
"Marchio Hermannus" donated "prædium suum in pago
Huningen…in comitatu Adelberti" to Backnang, with the consent of
"Berthæ contectalis", by charter dated 1134[17]. Marchese di Verona 1148-1151. Vogt of Selz 1139-1151. William of Tyre records the presence of
"dominus Hermannus provinciæ Veronensis marchio" with Konrad
III King of Germany in Palestine in 1148[18].
An agreement dated 23 Mar 1153 between Pope Eugene III and Friedrich I "Barbarossa" King of Germany is witnessed by "…marchio Hermannus de Baden…"[19].
m firstly (before 1134) BERTHA, daughter of --- (-after 1134, bur
Backnang). "Marchio Hermannus" donated "prædium suum
in pago Huningen…in comitatu Adelberti" to Backnang, with the consent
of "Berthæ contectalis", by charter dated 1134[20]. m secondly (after 1141) as her second husband, MARIA of Bohemia,
widow of LEOPOLD IV Markgraf of
Austria, daughter of SOBĚSLAV I UDALRICH Duke of the Bohemians
& his wife Adelaida of Hungary. The Canonici Wissegradensis Continuatio
Cosmæ records the marriage in 1138 of "dux Sobezlaus filiam suam
Mariam" with "filio Leupoldi orientalis marchionis"
specifying that it was celebrated in "Moravia in Olomucensi
parte"[21].
The primary source which names her husband has not yet been identified.
However, it appears that Leopold is the only son to whom the text can refer. The
primary source which confirms her second marriage has not yet been identified.
Hermann III & his first wife had one child:

iii)FRIEDRICH (-on crusade [1217]). "Hermannus
et Fridericus fratres et marchiones de Baden" confirmed a sale of
property in Owingen to Kloster Salem by charter dated 11 Jun 1207[27]. "…Marchio
Fridericus de Badin…" witnessed the charter dated 29 Aug 1210 under
which Emperor Otto IV confirmed the donation made by "Cunradus comes de
Zolre qui et Burggravius de Nurenberg" to the church of Speyer[28]. "Hermanus…marchio
de Baden" donated property to the Teutonic Knights, for "germanus
frater noster Fredericus" who died while on crusade, by charter dated
to [1216/31][29].

iv)RUDOLF (bur Backnang).

v)JUTTA (bur Backnang).

vi)BERTHA
(bur Backnang).

vii)GERTRUD (-before 30 Mar 1225). Her parentage and marriage are indicated
by the charter dated 1226 under which "Hermannus et Henricus
fratres…Marchiones de Baden" donated property inherited from "neptem
nostram Gertrudim comitissam bonæ memoriæ filiam comitis Alberti de Tagisburc"
to Strasbourg church[30].
From a chronological point of view, her father must have been Markgraf Hermann
IV if she belonged to the family of the Markgrafen von Baden, assuming the
birth of her daughter Gertrud is correctly dated to [1205/06]. The primary
source which confirms her name has not yet been identified. m ([1180]) ALBERT [II] Graf von Dagsburg, son of HUGO
[XII] Graf von Dagsburg & his wife Lutgardis von Sulzbach (-1212).

2.JUDITH (-1162, bur Backnang Stiftskirche). Her parentage and marriage are confirmed by
the charter dated May 1149 under which Konrad III King of Germany confirmed the church of Seckau, witnessed by "Hainricus dux de Karinthia et
avunculus eius Herimannus marchio de Baden…"[31]. The primary
source which confirms her name has not yet been identified. mULRICH
I Duke of Carinthia, son of ENGELBERT Duke of Carinthia, Marchese of
Istria [Sponheim] & his wife Uta von Passau [Ratpotonen] (-7 Apr 1144).

b)AGNES (1250-Vienna 2 Jan 1295). The Continuatio Prædictorum Vindobonensium
names "filium Fridericum et filiam Mariam" as the children of
"Hermannus marchyo de Paden" and Gertrud[48], their daughter
being named Agnes in the Continuatio Florianensis which specifies
that Maria was Gertrud's daughter by her third husband[49]. The Canonici Sambiensis Annales record the marriage in 1263 of "dux Carintie"
and "Agnetem filiam Hermanni marcravii de Paden"[50]. The Altahenses
Annales record that "Ulrico duci Karinthie" married "Agnetem
[filiam Hermanni marchio de Baden]"[51].
She renounced her rights to Baden and Austria in 1279. m firstly (1265) as his second wife, ULRICH III Duke of Carinthia,
son of BERNHARD Duke of Carinthia [Sponheim] & his wife Jutta of Bohemia
(-27 Oct 1269). m secondly ([1270/71]) ULRICH [III] Graf von
Heunburg, son of --- (-1308).

JAKOB von Baden,
son of BERNHARD I Markgraf von Baden & his second wife Anna von Oettingen (15 Mar 1407-Mühlburg 13 Oct 1453, bur Baden-Baden Stiftskirche). in Eberstein und Gernsbach 1425. He succeeded
in 1431 as JAKOB I Markgraf von Baden. in Hochberg. From 1437, he was
joint ruler of Sponheim-Starkenburg (Hintere Grafschaft) and 4/5
of Sponheim-Kreuznach (Vordere Grafschaft), jointly with Friedrich Pfalzgraf von Veldenz, on the death of Johann Graf von Sponheim-Starkenburg in accordance with
the terms of the Treaty of Beinheim agreed by the latter in 1425. zu Lahr und Mahlberg 1442. He founded the Kollegiatkirche at Baden-Baden 1453.

8.RUDOLF von Baden . Comtur of the Order of the Knights of St John at Freiburg, Neuenburg, Heitersheim und Kenzingen 1456-1470. Comtur at Überlingen 1473-1500.

KARL von Baden,
son of JAKOB I Markgraf von Baden & his wife Catherine de Lorraine (-Pforzheim 24 Feb 1475, bur Baden-Baden Stiftskirche). He
succeeded his father in 1453 as KARL I Markgraf von Baden. zu ½ Lahr und Mahlberg. He died of the plague.

5.ALBRECHT (25 Jan 1456-killed in
battle near Damme 23 Jul 1488). He succeeded his father in 1475 as ALBRECHT
Joint-Markgraf von Baden, resigned in favour of his brother
Christoph 1476. Under a partition of territories agreed 1482 with his brother
Christoph, Albrecht received Hochberg.

iii)HERMANN (-25 Apr 1356, bur
Freiburg Johanniterkirche). Knight of the Order of St John. Comtur at Freiburg 1346/49. Master of the Knights of the Order of St John in Germany 1354/55. Procurator-Commander of the Order 1356.

Markgraf Wilhelm [IV] had one illegitimate child by an
unknown mistress:

5.OTTO von Rothelin ([1436/37]-after 13 Jul 1452).

[1] The castle of Wiesneck was destroyed between 1112 and 1121, presumably by the Zähringer family to suppress
their rivals, and not rebuilt by 1136. The lordship of Wiesneck was sold in
1293 to Burkart Turner, a citizen of Freiburg, see Mayer, T. 'The state of the
Dukes of Zähringen', Barraclough, G. (1967) Medieval Germany 911-1250 Vol. II (Oxford), pp. 175-202, 189.